The Boundary Between Dreams and Reality
by KinTsubasa
Summary: Amu has succumbed to a permanent coma after meeting her mysterious, future self. Ikuto is whisked away to Amu's Dream World, where he must recover Amu's soul, if he is ever to see the love of his life ever again.
1. StarMaker

**Title: **_The Boundary Between Reality and Dreams _**Author: **KinTsubasa (Krissy) **Rated: **T-for profanity, moderate sensuality, and a complicated plot **Summary: **Something strange is happening to Amu and her chara's: their slowly going into permanent coma's…right? What happens when the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key are left alone with one another? **Pairings: **Amuto (AmuXIkuto) _Side pairings: _Kutau (KukaiXUtau), Rimahiko (RimaXNagihiko), and slight Yuri couple Durosu (DiamondXKurosu) **Disclaimer: **I do not own _Shugo Chara! _or any of it's characters. Rights are licensed to Peach-Pit, Kodansha, and Satelite.

**__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**/Star Maker\ **

_Stars are not just balls of light and gas;_

_they are the pathway for everyone's lives._

_They radiate with the power of our love and will;_

_the very thing that lets us thrive._

Diamond's bright eyes fluttered open. She took in her surroundings. She had fallen asleep on a grassy green hill, with several white Calla Lilies sprouting up from the ground. But those weren't the only flowers around her. There were several Black, Yellow, Blue, and Rabbitear irises growing down below the hill. _The Astro Gardens, _she thought calmly.

She wasn't alarmed by this, because The Astro Gardens was wear she usually stayed. In other words, it was technically her home. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and sat up. "Now, why did I fall asleep again?" Diamond murmured aloud.

The events from a few hours ago registered in her mind. She vaguely recalled Heart, Spade, and Clover coming by her Garden's. Heart had taken out a jump rope and asked if Diamond had wanted to play. She had said she would simply watch; so she observed Heart jump rope for thirty minutes without messing up. Clover then brought out chocolate angel food cakes, cherry almond tarts, apple strudel, strawberry shortcakes, and pineapple rice pudding for everyone.

That was one of the great things about being in this dimension; you can eat those kinds of things, and never get fat. Anyways, then Spade had taken out her baby harp and began to strum the strings gently. Spade could play every instrument perfectly. And the light, tinkling tune of the harp had gradually lulled Diamond into a nap. The others must have left, believing they were imposing on her.

Subconsciously, she wrapped her arms around her entire body in a self hug and tears streamed down her face. But, in reality, it was impossible for _Diamond _of all people to cry. Instead, she just looked ahead with a rather blank look.

Oh my, that's right; you don't know why she wishes to weep, do you? Well, lately, things in Amu's Dream World had gotten…lonely. Yes, yes, it was always lonely in Amu's Dream World because she tends to shut people off from her true feelings. But this was just…strange.

Candid Centre, Heart's special gymnasium, was teeming with negative energy as, mysteriously, her equipment was beginning to disappear.

Harmonic Wood, Spade's always entertaining forest, had become unusually infested with negativity; the wildlife had become wilder and more dangerous, the grass was turning an ugly brown.

Sweet Tower, Clover's bakery, was also showing signs of X energy. Her cooking utensils had begun to fling themselves at innocent servants, and the stone of the tower had begun crumbling dangerously.

Even the Astro Gardens were starting to hint of pessimism. And it wasn't just these special places; it was the environment as well. The skies were always cloudy and dark, the plant life looked as if it was dying miserably, and people seemed moodier than usual.

Diamond had been meaning to consult with her special person about this, but because of circumstances beyond her control, she was forbidden to see her normally. But, perhaps, today would be the day.

She scanned her small meadow, which had been exempt from the rest of the dying flowers, and spotted a miracle. The first Calypso orchid had bloomed.

It was time to see Cross again.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N: I know, I know...I should be writing _Withering Roses _and _The Cross Alliance..._but this idea just popped into my head, and I _had _to start it. I promise, I'll get back to both my stories, and I may even get going on _Amu in Charaland_ eventually. It's just we had stupid Mid-terms....urgh -_-' Anyways, I hope you all like this new story since it does have Amuto in it. **


	2. f a i n t

′‡**://f a i n t\\:‡'**

_What do you do when you feel your heart stops all of a sudden?_

_Simple._

_You escape to a less painful place. _

Hinamori Amu found herself being bugged by her younger sister, Ami, that Saturday morning, keeping her from her Shopping Day.

"Onee-chan, _pleeease?" _Ami begged for what must be the twentieth time.

You see, Ami had recently come across a box of things from Amu's toddler days. She had spotted one thing that Amu had loved with all her heart, and had fallen in love. It was a little doll girl, who had incredibly long, brown hair that spiraled down her green dress in separate twirls. Her left eye was a beautiful emerald, while her right was a sparkling crimson color.

"_NO, _Ami," Amu said firmly.

"Can't I borrow it? Just for the day?" Dang, this kid would not give up!

Amu considered it. If she gave the doll to Ami for the day, she would get to go shopping. But God knows what her precious heirloom would look like when she got home. If she didn't give the doll to Ami, she wouldn't be able to go shopping without having Ami whining in her ears. But, her doll would most likely be okay. But then again, Ami might go and tell Mama and Papa one of Amu's many secrets if she didn't.

Amu sighed in defeat and said, "Fine, you can borrow the doll." Ami squealed in delight and hugged her older sister's leg.

"Thank you, onee-chan!" Ami cried. And with that, she ran off.

"Just be careful with it!" Amu called to her.

Amu went back to what she had been doing; checking herself in the mirror. She was wearing a white, in-cut tunic shirt with a black, skull print hoodie over it. She also wore a pleated, pink plaid skirt that reached her knees, white, knee-high socks, and black, casual loafers.

She tied her pink hair up with her famous X clip, grabbed her egg carrier, and hooked the Humpty Lock onto the chain she used for the Lock.

She dashed down the stairs and then out the door, off to meet Rima and Yaya.

---

"Amu-chi!" Yaya called. She and Rima were standing at the entranceway of The Boutique, one of Amu's favorite stores' to shop in. Amu spotted them, and ran towards them.

Yaya was wearing a light blue cashmere puff-sleeved sweater, darker blue slimming pants, white ballet flats, and her hair was fixed into Yaya's famous pigtails by a white ribbon.

Rima was wearing an ivory tuxedo shirt, a grey-on-white pencil skirt, a black web belt, and suede boots. Her bangs were pulled back by an Ida scarf headband.

Amu was baffled by this fashionable looking Rima.

"What's—_this_—for?" Amu asked her, gesturing towards all of Rima's clothing. Yaya snickered, and answered for her, "She wants to look good nowadays, since she likes _Nagi-kun._"

Rima flushed slightly, gasped, and shouted at Yaya, "I would _never _like that guy! And don't call him 'Nagi-kun'!" Yaya giggled, while Amu smiled knowingly. On that note, the three girls began to shop to their heart's contest.

Yaya looked for anything cute and frilly, while Rima looked for something professional yet attractive, as Amu worried over what fit her character. And just about the time when she did find a great outfit, was about the time when she saw a woman staring at her.

And that woman—was Amu.

---

Tsukiyomi Ikuto stared up at the afternoon sky from the grassy hill he often lay on. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky had turned to a mixture between a flame orange, canary yellow, salmon pink, and lilac purple color.

Ikuto had been very bored lately. A small smile played its way across Ikuto's features. Because, you see, when Ikuto gets very bored, he feels the need to see a certain person.

A certain person named Amu.

---

Amu stared at herself. Well, she stared at her older self.

Because this Amu across from her was undoubtedly older.

Her rose pink hair was so long, it nearly made its way to her feet. Her glossy, amber eyes had grown more acquainted to her heart shaped face. Her lips had become even more pouty and plump as the years passed and her eyelashes had grown longer. She had gotten taller, and her curves were heart dropping.

The look on Older Amu's face was amazing. Her face seemed humple and peaceful, her lips set into a gentle smile. Her eyes gave off a peculiar happiness, while her flushed skin hinted at how innocent she was. She looked like some sort of Archangel sent to help her younger self save the Key to Moumoutaru City.

Amu was speechless. She became even more astounded when her older self held out her hand to her younger self.

And Present Amu felt this…_need _to grab Future Amu's hand. She wanted so badly to reach out and embrace herself; and for what reason, she had no idea. So she took Future Amu's hand in hers.

That was when Amu fainted; when Amu's heart stopped.

---

**A/N: Wow. I actually finished it. You guys can probably tell I rushed it. Oh wellz...anyways, I guess I'll explain some things: **

**The Doll- Teehee, if you haven't guessed, that doll was Suiseiseki from _Rozen Maiden _**

**Moumoutaru City- 'Moumoutaru' means dense...and we all know just how dense Amu is. **

**Present Amu and Future Amu- just to tell you, Amu is the only one who can see her future self. So to anyone who may have been watching her probably thought she was having some sort of Craziness Attack.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading minna! See you in the next chapter (KYA! Kurosu and Diamond have a Yuri filled discussion. *Ahem* Sorry, I'm having one of my Yuri-RabuRabu spasms! XD)**


	3. crossdiamond

**†◊C.r.o.s.s+D.i.a.m.o.n.d◊†**

_When you mix darkness and darkness, you become monstrous_

_When you mix light and light, you are blinded_

_When you mix a light and a dark, you get perfect harmony_

Diamond hated coming to Tartarus. Tartarus was the deepest, gloomiest, most merciless part of the Underworld in their dimension. Tartarus was constantly filled with piercing shrieks, mangled bodies, and the foul stench of death, blood, and misery. The darkness in that place was just too much.

But Diamond would do anything to see Cross.

Diamond found herself staring at the black gates of Tartarus in utter fear. These gates had suffered for millennia; proof being they had used to be silver. Blood was splattered everywhere on the gates, and Diamond cringed when she saw decapitated heads and other body parts leading a path to the gateway.

Even so, she advanced forward. When she made it to the pedestal where a black-clad figure stood, she merely said, "The Calypso Orchid has gone into The Blooming Cycle." The figure nodded, and took out a single, white key from thin air.

The figure tapped the key onto three particular latches of the gate. And then, a series of latches unlocked themselves and the gate lurched slowly open. The form gestured for her to go on. Diamond hesitantly made her way inside. As she expected, she was greeted by violent gore.

There must have been thousands of black-clad figures inside Tartarus; but unlike the Door Watcher, they were the Torturers. Begging's of clemency, screams of agony, and wild cackling drowned out any thought that passed through Diamond's head. The scent of decaying bodies hit Diamond hard, almost knocking her out.

She carefully looked at the Cell Numbers, and looked for Cell #568. Diamond gazed at all the poor prisoners in pity. She didn't know what they had all done to deserve this, but even then, she believed in repenting.

Diamond moved more fluidly and quicker than she ever had in her entire life. Finally, she recognized the fading number over a seemingly empty cell to be #568.

Diamond brought up a vial of liquid from her coat pocket and splashed all of the liquid onto the bars, causing them to dissolve. Then, Diamond took out her diamond shaped amulet, and kissed it. The amulet began to glow an effervescent yellow.

Diamond shined into one particular corner of the cell, and saw what she had come for. In that corner was a slouched over body, its hands and feet chained to the walls. Shackles wrapped around the body like a ribbon. It seemed to be unconscious when a sudden hiss of defiance sounded from the shape. Diamond found her lips twitching upward at the familiar lack of respect.

"You never did like company, did you?" she asked the body softly.

Then, the body's head snapped up at the recognizable voice.

"D-Diamond?" the body whispered. Diamond nodded faintly.

"I believe it's time for those awful chains to disappear. Do you agree…Cross?" Cross was unable to speak. "W-what do you mean?" she questioned her companion, puzzled by what she meant.

Suddenly, a wide, jubilant grin spread across Diamond's face.

"I mean—it's time for you to come home."

---

Cross strutted proudly out of Tartarus, the place she was glad she would never come back to. Of course, it's kind of hard for someone to strut proudly out of Hell with only bandages and a flimsy skirt to cover up your otherwise naked body.

Diamond watched Cross doing this in amusement, knowing she had been looking forward to this moment for a very long time.

When they made it safely out of sight of the gates, Cross asked Diamond, "So, how'd I look?"

Diamond bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing and answered, "You looked…hot." Cross's face contorted in confusion.

"What do you mean? I _always _look hot," she joked. Diamond raised her eyebrows and giggled.

When they made it to a regular appearing door, Diamond brought out her amulet and turned it inside the keyhole of the door. A solid iron wall faced them, with a keyboard stuck to it. She typed in her pin number, and pressed ENTER. The keyboard dissolved into thin air, leaving a small red button in its place.

Diamond pushed the button, and the entire wall dissolved, forming the archway into the Astro Gardens.

They both marched into the Garden. Cross grimaced when she saw the dead flowers.

"Okay, I'll bite. What's happened?" Cross turned to face one expression she never wanted to see dancing in Diamond's eyes. Pure sorrow. Cross's eyes widened.

Diamond simply sighed and whispered, "Many things have been happening since you left." Something evil glinted in Cross's eyes.

"It's because of her, isn't it?" she growled. Diamond's head came up, and she hissed fiercely, "Of course, it's not! She can't! She-she…well…" Diamond was scared to see how Cross would react to the biggest thing she had missed during her time in Tartarus.

Cross's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "She what?"

"Well…she kind of…made herself the queen of our world," Diamond finished, bracing herself for the explosion.

Cross's face twisted in complete rage, and she shrieked,

"_**WHAAAAT????????!!!!!!!!!**_"

As expected, her voice echoed around the Garden and through the trees.

"Jeez, why the hell do you have to scream right in my ear?!" Diamond spat at her. Cross was still in the process of freaking out, so she didn't actually hear Diamond. She was running around the Garden, screaming out a stream of curses to _her. _She was also randomly whacking at the air, making Diamond believe she had possibly lost her mind in Tartarus.

Diamond sighed and stuck out her foot when Cross came running by her. Thus, Cross fell flat on her face.

Calmly, Cross picked herself up from the ground. Diamond eyed her as if she were a troublesome child.

"Are you done?" she asked her.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm done."

"Well, there's something even stranger going on. She keeps insisting to take these 'short term vacations', and strange things happen whenever she returns. The strangest was…I turned into a Black Soldier."

Cross nearly choked on the breath she had taken in. "That two-faced, hella bitch…" she growled. Diamond quickly rolled her eyes and continued.

"But yesterday, she decided to take a 'family visit'."

"Wait…are you talking about her twin brother?" Diamond shook her head frantically.

"That's the problem—I don't know who she was talking about. And she also said…she'd bring a friend to our world."

Cross muttered, "As if that self-centered sack of shit actually has any _friends. _Psh, I bet five bucks she paid them to …Wait a second, hold up—did you say she's _bringing the friend here?" _Diamond nodded, her eyes thoughtful and concerned.

Cross frowned and suddenly grasped Diamond's hands with her own, and entwined their fingers together. Diamond was shocked by this abrupt, affectionate gesticulation. Cross smiled a small grin and gently pressed their foreheads together. Diamond blushed ever so slightly. That's when Cross pulled away and chuckled.

"You're so easy!"

Diamond's face heated up as she shouted, "IDIOT! I wish I would've left you in that hellhole to rot and die!!"

"Aw, come on, don't be mad!"

Diamond stomped off, leaving a laughing Cross clutching her sides on the grass.

---

**A/N: Ah, and so Kurosu appears. Hmm...who is this mysterious girl who Kurosu hates so much? Why does Kurosu hate this girl? Why the hell am I talking to myself again?**

**Tartarus- Tartarus really is the deepest, most miserable part of hell where all the condemned souls are tortured. Hmm, is anyone wondering why Kurosu was there in the first place?**

**Cross's Little Tantrum- Kurosu has anger issues... **

**Kurosu VS Cross- Cross is what everyone calls her in the story, but Kurosu is my pet name for her**

**Black Soldier- that's their equivalent to X eggs**

**Darn...I wanted more Yuri moments *emoing in a dark corner*. But I figured it would be best to not overload my reader's with too many homo moments. I hope everyone liked this chapter! Sayonara, and next chapter will feature modearate Amutoness...**


	4. c o m a

'‡**://c o m a\\:‡'**

Sleeping is so boring,

Death is too extreme,

Go for the coma

It'll make much less a scene

The Hinamori Family never had much to worry about with their eldest daughter. Amu was always a fairly independent girl who they could rely on to watch herself and Ami at the same time. She was responsible and was a role model to younger kids. She was always healthy; they couldn't remember the last time she even had a small cold!

So it came as much more than a shock when their daughter had, quote, '…passed out in The Boutique as her heart had abruptly cut off her blood distribution network'.

Midori Hinamori, Tsumugu Hinamori, and Ami Hinamori were the first ones to Shounin Kiru: Emergency Hospital, where their daughter had been rushed to.

Tsumugu Hinamori, who was known for his fatherly over protectiveness, was a wreck. He paced all around the waiting room (he learned the waiting room's floor had exactly 334 tiles) and he would occasionally go sob in a corner whenever he saw bright girls like his Amu walk out, all better.

Ami Hinamori, like her father, wasn't taking this well. To distract herself she would often humming Utau's 'Heartful Song'. But when the distracting didn't work, she would go up to her Mama and ask her what was wrong with her Onee-chan until she got an answer that wasn't "I don't know, honey".

Speaking of which, Midori Hinamori perhaps had the strangest reaction. She was being eerily calm and solemn, often staring into space. People thought this was a sign that she was taking this harder than her husband and daughter. But, Midori was actually eerily calm and solemn on the inside too. She had a particular confidence in her Amu.

A tall man with neat brown hair wearing a white lab coat and bifocal glasses came out into the waiting room and called out, "Hinamori Amu's family!" Midori composedly picked her daughter up into her arms, grabbed her husband by the shirt, and followed the doctor inside a small hospital ward's room with one single bed inside, the occupant being Amu. Midori had to tighten her grip on her husband, to keep him from running up and crushing Amu in a massive hug.

"So, doctor, how is she?" Midori inquired the orderly man.

"She's doing fine; her blood distribution network reactivated just when her heart started beating again."

"Her heart stopped beating?" Midori reiterated him, not informed that her daughter's heart had stopped beating. The doctor nodded.

"Yes. It's quite odd; we can't find anything that would tell us _why _her heart stopped beating. Once we examined her, there was no trace of anything that could've interfered with her pulse. In fact, she seemed over all perfect when we inspected her circulatory system. It's like nothing ever happened to her."

Midori bit down on her lip. She had known her daughter to have pulled through miracles before, but this was just…odd.

"That's not the strangest thing, though. I hate to tell you this, but…it seems Amu has succumbed to a coma." The doctor looked mildly uncomfortable. Midori was speechless.

"But—I thought you said she was _fine!_" Midori hissed at him.

"Well, technically, she is fine. Her body is functioning normally, and her heart rate has returned to normal, but…this sounds so strange, but, it's like her soul has taken a temporary nap. We can't find any trace of any actual…_soul_ in your daughter's body."

Midori had never felt so shocked in her life. Her daughter had…_no soul?!_

"If she has no soul, doesn't that mean she's dead?!" Midori was getting closer to hysteria by the second. The doctor sighed and rubbed his temples. Midori heard him mutter something like, "This is why I need Advil everyday."

"She _does _have a soul, Mrs. Hinamori. What I'm trying to say is that her soul has gone into hibernation! That's why she's unconscious," the doctor answered. Midori was still beyond comprehension of this situation. The doctor sighed again, and continued.

"I know this all sounds…impossible…but all of the doctors here have agreed that Amu has most definitely gone into a permanent coma. We aren't _assured _it will be permanent, but…when a soul goes into hibernation, the person subdued do not rise conscious ever again. I don't know, we've been proved wrong before. But I suggest you take her home. Perhaps sleeping in her own bed will help."

Midori felt her own soul shatter. This wasn't right…her bright, beautiful daughter with her signature Cool N' Spicy character…would be sleeping forever. Tsumugu was struggling even harder now, crying out how his oldest sparrow was lost forever. Ami was crying into her mother's shirt, being able to tell by her parent's moods that the news was not good.

Midori, still trying to keep collective, gently picked Amu up into her arms, while handing Ami to Tsumugu. Midori walked out of the hospital, her husband and youngest daughter in tow. In the car, Midori refused to let go of Amu, and kept her cradled on her lap. Keeping her bangs over her eyes, Midori let the tears of worry and loss fall onto the cold cheeks of her beloved daughter.

---

Tadase, Rima, Yaya, Nagihiko, and Kukai rushed over to the Hinamori household as soon as they overheard the news that Amu had gotten out of the hospital. Tadase and Rima seemed to be the most upset. Tadase had gone out and bought a beautiful, thriving bouquet—one that resembled what Tadase believed Amu's image to be. You see, Tadase had recently come to terms with his true feelings; in short, he had recently admitted to himself he was in love with Amu, not one part of Amu.

Rima had bought Amu her favorite sweet: strawberry cupcakes from Sprinkles Cupcakes. Rima was depressed because she believed it was her fault Amu had passed out. She believed that Amu must have seen something to spook her, and if she had been there, she could've prevented Amu from seeing anything.

Nagihiko, seeing Rima's obvious guilt, slung his arm over her shoulder in comfort. Rima blushed, but decided to be brave: she gently hugged him from the side. Nagihiko was surprised, but did not object.

Yaya clung to Kukai, also feeling guilty for not being by Amu's side during the happening. Kukai, who was sick of this heavy mood, managed to put every one of them in a head lock. All of them cried out in protest, but Kukai merely grinned down at them.

"You guys need to lighten up! If Hinamori sees us like this when we visit her, she'll get upset! Besides, she probably just fainted when she saw somebody grab 'that totally cute outfit' before her," Kukai enthused. Rima and Yaya giggled, while Nagihiko and Tadase smiled at their helpful friend.

Tadase was the one to ring the doorbell to the Hinamori household, since he had been here before. It took a moment before Mrs. Hinamori opened the door.

"Ye—Oh, hello. You all must be here to visit Amu-chan. Please, come in."

There was something…off about Mrs. Hinamori to Tadase. Either way, Tadase was too anxious to see the condition of Amu. Mrs. Hinamori led them up their staircase to a door that everyone, besides Tadase, guessed was Amu's room. Just when she was about to open the door, Mrs. Hinamori turned back to the Guardians.

"There's something I have to tell all of you. But before I do, I have to ask you all to be quiet. I just put Ami to bed, and noise really won't be helpful to Amu at the moment," Mrs. Hinamori informed them all. They all nodded, understanding. Mrs. Hinamori opened Amu's bedroom door.

There, on the bed's raspberry pink comforters, was a girl. A girl with pale white skin, shoulder-length, rose pink hair that fanned out against the mattress, and wearing a white gown with X pattern straps, it's skirt slightly ruffled, and a tartan plaid bow in the back. Tadase's heart sank when he saw her.

"Amu," he whispered, for the first time.

"Well, the doctors said that after Amu's heart stopped, that her soul went into hibernation. So, because of this, they believe…she's gone into a permanent coma."

This time, everyone's hearts sank.

"Her soul…went into…_hibernation?" _Rima repeated. Nagihiko squeezed closer to her. Mrs. Hinamori nodded.

"Is that even possible?!" Nagihiko questioned, outraged that this could ever happen. Mrs. Hinamori smiled bitterly and replied, "Apparently so."

"I'll just go get a vase for the flowers. You guys can have a private moment with Amu-chan if you'd like," Mrs. Hinamori said, as she walked out of the room.

Rima was the first to go up. Keeping up her stubborn façade, she simply set down the box of cupcakes on her nightstand and murmured, "They're your favorites."

Nagihiko went next. He gently put a petal from a cherry blossom tree in her palms.

Kukai went third. He ruffled her hair and said to her quietly, "You'll be able to pull though, Hinamori, I'm sure!"

Yaya came fourth. She had tears in her eyes as she held Amu's right hand and whispered, "Amu-chi."

Tadase was the last one. The rest of the Guardians seemed to get that Tadase needed to be _alone_ with Amu. So, they scooted out of the room as quietly as they could.

"Amu," Tadase whispered again. Tadase yearned to reach out and hug Amu's beautiful body. He yearned to hold her cold hands. He yearned to kiss her…

But something was holding him back. Every time he tried to get close to her, it was like some force would erase any thought of being intimate with her in his mind. It was unbelievably irritating.

Just when he was about to break this invisible force, Mrs. Hinamori walked back inside. She seemed slightly surprised that Tadase was still there.

"Hotori-san, I believe it's time for you to leave. Your mother will worry about you," she said to him. Tadase nodded reluctantly and left Amu's room.

---

Ikuto was still rooted to the spot on Amu's balcony. _Amu…is in…a permanent…coma. _Those words repeated themselves in his head, over and over again.

Ikuto wasn't sure how to react to this.

It was true, Ikuto did like Amu; he wasn't going to deny it. He had known he liked her for a long time. He would get irritated every time she was with Kiddy King, and he found her warmth…tempting.

But then again, they had always been on opposite sides. Don't get him wrong, he didn't want to be the bad guy. But he couldn't break his contract with Easter.

When Amu's mother and Amu's Guardian friends were safely gone, Ikuto silently slid her balcony doors open. He creeped up to Amu's bedside. Ikuto had never seen her look so supernaturally beautiful. It was like her spirit had been sapped out of her. He gently caressed her freezing cheeks.

Of course, that was about the time he met Future Amu.

---

Cross stared at her beautiful stream of water.

Unlike most streams, the water in her stream was a beautiful, luminous, glittery ice blue color; and also unlike usual streams, the water in her stream moved calmly and at it's own pace.

And right above the serene waters was a slim, sinuous, roan stump that was seemingly connected to the land that surrounded Cross's stream. Speaking of the surrounding, around the waters was well grown grass, with an occasional Calypso orchid here and there.

Cross was able to see this by the two oak trees that grew right in front of the stream. To go inside the stream, you would have to walk in between them. So, Cross did just that. And when she did, she transformed.

The dirty, bloody bandages she wore increased in size and the wind forced it to whirl around her body.

During that time, a tight leather, black corset with an interesting trim pattern at its ends, a large, violet bow hooked onto the center of her breast line, a velvet black choker with the intricate trimming, leather black gloves with the complicated trimming pattern, and thigh high, black boots with the violet bows on their sides appeared on her body. An alarmingly tiny bowler hat with a tiny violet bow topped off Cross's stunning outfit.

Cross smiled at her stream and muttered, "I'm back."

---

Future Amu was even more alluring to Ikuto than she was to Amu. She omitted a glowing white light that seemed so inviting. And when she smiled that enchanting smile of hers, he might as well have kissed her toes and called her 'master'.

Then, she held out her soft, appealing hand to him.

And I think we all know what Ikuto did. He reached out and took her hand. The light that came after their fingers touched was much more than just blinding. Ikuto couldn't take the light, so he fell unconscious.

When he woke up, he realized he was resting on something that felt strange against his skin. Ikuto's azure blue eyes fluttered open to see the blue sky.

_That's odd…if I remember correctly, I was inside Amu's room, _he thought.

He managed to sit himself up, and when he did that, he found that we was laying down on grass.

_Wait a second—grass?!_

That wasn't all. Ikuto found himself resting in forest clearing. This most definitely wasn't Amu's room. Then he saw Future Amu again.

She was standing right in front of him, with her hand gesturing for him to follow her. And because Ikuto couldn't resist, he stood up and blindly followed her through the shady forest.

Abruptly, she just disappeared. Ikuto turned his head around frantically. Suddenly, he spotted an impossibly large gate before him. He was instantly reminded of the gates of Heaven.

_Am I…dead? _

But there was something different about these gates…they weren't golden. Instead, they were a shimmering rainbow color. Also, there was a girl who was sitting at the top of the gates.

And she looked like she was about to fall.

---

**A/N: URGH! I am so sorry, readers. I spent so much time on this chapter, and it ended up being pretty crappy. Oh well, enough emoing! Okay, so I lied. There was only one bit of Amutoness...but I really do have to get to the part where Ikuto meets everyone in Amu's Dream World. Anyways, here goes:**

**Amuto VS Tadamu- I know, I put in some Tadamu, but at least I made it so he didn't do anything to her. I assure you, this is Amuto. I just had to add Tadase in there to give you some hints about how Amu's Dream World affects reality. **

**Sprinkles Cupcakes- there really is a company named Sprinkles Cupcakes. Go to www. sprinkles cupcakes .com (Without the spaces)**

**Future Amu- just to tell you, Future Amu isn't all that she seems...remember, who might "she" be from the last chapter?**

**Cross's Stream- Well, since everyone else has their own special landmark, I let Cross have one too.**

**Cross's Dress- Actually I took this idea from an outfit that Freya from _Chobits _wears; go to my profile for the image. **

**The Gates- these gates are the doorways into certain Dream Worlds or Dimensions. **

**Okay, then! See you guys in the next chapter, where Ikuto meets some of Amu's Dream World occupants (wonder how that's going to go!)**


	5. DreamWorld?

└ **D.r.e.a.m+W.o.r.l.d.? ┘**

_Do you have an imaginary friend?_

_Do you believe in flying?_

_If you do,_

_You don't have a Dream World_

It was Heart's turn to take Gate Watch Duty. Ever since _she _had made herself the ruler of Amu's Dream World, she had demanded that one of its inhabitants take 'Watch Duty' every week. And since they couldn't go against the ruler's wishes, they did just that.

But because Heart couldn't stand being in one place for just five minutes, she would often find different spots to watch the gate at. Today, she decided to watch the gate on top of the gate.

Humming a tune she faintly remembered Diamond singing and swinging her legs over the side of the gate, Heart was perfectly content. Until she heard a voice from below.

"Hey! What are you doing up there?" the voice called. Heart was so startled, she nearly fell off the gates. Catching herself, she frenziedly looked for where the voice came from.

"Down here!" the voice called again. Heart's head snapped down. Down, on the ground, was a boy. A human boy.

For a moment, Heart just stared. Then, she let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

---

In the very heart of Amu's Dream World was a large castle. This castle was not like the castles in the real world, for, unlike real castles, the ruler of Amu's Dream World used magic to keep it up and running.

And years of magic use on this castle had caused it to be rather, well…paranormal.

The castle, which had used to be made up of multiple stone types, now was made up of a single, supernatural property that everyone in Amu's Dream World knew about: C_oloré_ _Pierre, _a stone that is a shimmering rainbow color that can bend matter and make any solid material materialize before you in a matter of milliseconds.

There were no doors on the castle, for they weren't needed; the only way to get through the castle was Wing Identification. All you had to do was unfold your wings, pluck out one of its plumes, and let it push it through the walls, and you were possibly allowed in.

There were large open-up windows with silken, cream colored curtains at the top floors of the castle, giving it a homey look.

Future Amu took in the familiar sight of her home and sighed, pleased with this new game she had come up with. Because she had purposely gone to her precious Amu, had 'kidnapped' her soul and taken it to a secret place, then she had snatched Ikuto's soul and sent him here to visit the 5 Joker's of Amu's Dream World.

"This will be very interesting," Future Amu murmured to herself.

Future Amu pressed her fingertips to the _Colore Pierre _of the castle. Immediately, her decoy clothing transformed into hundreds of feathers that began to circle around her body. The feathers synced together, to form a single, incredibly long white ribbon. The ribbon twirled around Future Amu, and then gradually dissolved, being replaced by Future Amu's new outfit.

She was wearing a cream colored, shoulder-strap blouse that revealed cleavage; its hems were black and mildly ruffled. Below the blouse she wore a satin, see-through snow white skirt that was incredibly ruffled with black trimming; it was so transparent, you could see the silk panties she had on underneath. A thin, black neck band hugged her neckline; a snow white, ruffled veil cascaded outwards from the neck band.

Pushing out from her lower back was a pair of large, ivory wings.

Future Amu plucked one of the feathers from her wings and swiftly brushed it across the stone. The multi-colored stone liquefied to make a rectangular opening. Inside that opening was a replica of a medieval throne room.

"Home," Future Amu muttered.

---

Heart was so startled, she fell to the ground. Expecting to land with a sickening crunch of her bones, she was even more surprised when she felt two strong arms catch her.

She flushed when she saw how handsome this human boy who had caught her was.

Her common sense kicked in when she quit ogling him.

"KYAAA! Oh no, this is bad! This is soooo bad! Cross-sama will not be happy and neither will Diamond-sama…Oh, crap! What will _she_ say about all thi—"

Suddenly, Ikuto covered her mouth with his hand. He didn't have time for this weird girl's rambling. He needed answers. Now.

"When I let go, I'm going to ask you a question. I want you to answer that question as calmly and as slowly as you can. Got it?"

Ikuto tried to pierce her magenta eyes with his, but for some reason, it seemed like Heart had already beat him to the punch. Finally, she nodded. Ikuto unhurriedly took his hand off of her mouth. She remained silent, waiting.

"Who are you?" he began. Heart went rigid.

"I am Heart, the First Joker." Heart chose her words carefully, so as not to give much away. A puzzled look crossed Ikuto's face.

"First Joker?" he murmured. Heart nodded.

"Where is this place?" Ikuto continued. Heart hesitated.

"I cannot tell you that," Heart replied.

"Why not?" Ikuto inquired, getting impatient.

Heart shook her head and murmured, "It is not my place to tell you where we are."

"Then you are of no further use to me," Ikuto told her dismissively. Heart's face went blank and then she giggled. Annoyed, Ikuto asked her, "What are you laughing about?"

"Well, you see, you can't go anywhere in this dimension without one of the Five Jokers. So, I am more precious to you than gold at the moment. In fact, I could tap you on the shoulder, and you could drop dead, if I willed it to be so. But you're too cute, and I hate seeing cute people die." Ikuto blinked, more confused than ever.

_Did she just say she could kill me and call me cute at the same time?_

Ikuto looked over this girl one more time. She looked familiar.

She had cerise colored hair tied into a side ponytail and large, honest, magenta eyes. She looked around the age of 14, with her average figure. A large, white frilled, light pink bow sat atop her hair. A light pink shift dress with long sleeves ending with frills and white ruffles at the hem fit her young curves well; on the front of the dress was a frilly, white circle with a red heart in the middle, while in the back was an enormous, ruffled, light pink bow. Grey fishnets squeezed her long, athletic legs, light pink combat boots with fuchsia straps (and golden buttons) covering the rest up.

He gradually put the pieces together. The pink…the honest eyes…the hair color and style…the heart…she was a duplicate of Amu's Guardian Character, Ran.

"Ran?" Ikuto whispered, more to himself than her. A wave of confusion passed over Heart's features.

"Who?"

"Nobody, nobody," Ikuto said hastily.

A small, mysterious smile appeared on her face as she said, "Anyways, if you want all of your questions answered, I'm going to have to take you to a higher powered Joker. Follow me."

Heart stepped up to the rainbow gates before her and lightly pressed her fingertips to them. A large, crimson jewel materialized in the place she had forced down on. Ikuto, alarmed by this action, took a step back.

Softly, Heart began talking into the gem.

"Spade-sama? Spade-sama?" A long stretch of silence was all that greeted her. Heart sighed, irritated.

"_Spade-sama?!" _Heart shouted into the gem, causing Ikuto to wince.

_Damn, this girl is loud. _

Heart sighed again, her eyebrows furrowed. She was contemplating what she should do about this. Stupid Spade in her stupid enchanted forest weren't answering, and there was no way in hell she was going to _her _for help. A daring idea suddenly popped into her head. Her magenta eyes glinted with excitement.

Effortlessly, she pushed the gates open.

Heart ran inside, with Ikuto in tow.

"Where are you taking me?" Ikuto asked her.

Heart winked at him and replied, "To see Cross-sama."

---

Heart ended up leading Ikuto to a large clearing. Peculiarly, that clearing had two, enormous oak trees growing in its center. Heart took him towards the two trees, Ikuto looking at them inquisitively.

"Okay, then, just walk in between the trees," Heart instructed. Ikuto nodded hesitantly.

He took a step in between the two oak's and the entire scenery transformed.

What used to be a simple, sea of green grass was now a world that was tinted violet and silver. Before Ikuto's astonished eyes was a stunningly beautiful stream of ice blue water that glittered abnormally. The water moved at a steady, cool pace, unlike usual running water. But that was not the most gorgeous thing about the stream.

A skinny, sinuous tree trunk seemed to have fallen across the stream, perched up dangerously close to the water. And a girl was lying on top of the tree trunk.

Her slim, tall figure seemed to easily weave its way around the wood. Her left arm fell limp and swept the calm water, like her two feet. Her right hand lay over her chest. It appeared as if she were sleeping.

It took a while for Ikuto to notice Heart standing beside him.

"Isn't she uncomfortable laying on that?" he questioned. Heart shook her head.

"No, she loves this place because it's the exact opposite of her…so she's never uncomfortable here." Ikuto was a little confused, but decided not to pry.

"You know I can hear you guys, right?" a strict, tough voice suddenly called out. Ikuto's head swerved back to look at the stream. The girl was no longer in a leisurely position, but was standing on top of the brown stalk, yawning.

Heart's expression turned from serene to scared senseless. She could sense that Cross was not very tolerant today. _Shit. _

Cross was an unusual looking girl.

She had ashen, soft skin which contrasted wickedly with her outrageous burgundy eyes that seemed to stab right through your heart. Her platinum hair coiled its way to her ankles. Wearing nothing but black and purple helped her bad-girl image. Unlike Heart, she looked like she was 16 years old. But…the way her face was shaped and rounded…was exactly the same way as Amu's did.

"Heart," the air around Cross became doom-filled, "why have you _broken into _my exquisite clearing?" Heart chuckled nervously.

"Wellaboutthat…thisboycamebythegatessomehowandSpadedidn'tanswermydistresscallsoIdecidedtocomeseeyouandseewhatweshoulddowithhim."

Cross raised her eyebrows in amusement. Luckily, she had learned to interpret Heart's speedy chatting. Cross turned her attention to Ikuto.

"And you are?"

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto," Ikuto replied. A nagging feeling abruptly rose in Cross's ego. She ignored it and sauntered towards the uninvited guests.

"Cross, the Fifth Joker," she responded, offering her chilly hand. Ikuto shook it with his own hand. She turned back to Heart, a terrifying look coming over her delicate features.

"So, Heart, back to why you came to _me." _

"W-well, I couldn't go to Spade, because she didn't tell me if it was safe to go, I don't know where Diamond or Clover are, and there is _no way _I'm going to _her _for advice…so, you were the obvious candidate to bring him to," Heart finished.

Cross wavered. If there was one thing she and Heart could agree on, it was how to do the Process of Elimination. She ended up sighing, too overwhelmed by this new issue they'd have to handle.

_Well, it's gonna take a lot more than just Heart and I to figure out what to do with this human boy. _

"_**SPAAAAAAAAAADE!!!!"**_

---

With her nihontō in hand, Cross guided Heart and Ikuto through the now dangerous Harmonic Wood.

Harmonic Wood used to be a beautiful, tranquil forest where the backwards creatures of Amu's Dream World dwelled. Healthy, well-cut grass grew everywhere; there was no thinning spot anywhere. Trees and flowers sprouted up effortlessly, and skies used to be bluer than they were in the real world.

But now, the grass had turned brown and was growing wildly in patches, while the trees were dead and curved unnaturally; snarled, thorny bushes grew around the patches of grass with dying flowers littering the scene.

Ikuto was horrified by this dark, gloomy place and followed close behind the armed Cross. Heart was even more scared than Ikuto, for she was clinging to his back, trembling.

Cross inwardly groaned; these two looked tough on the outside, but anyone who was frightened by a bunch of dead plants was a wimp in her book. Unlike the two, Cross strode across the rapidly dying wood without hesitation or doubt.

"Um…what is _wrong_ with place?" Ikuto asked Cross.

"Oh, well, it's not just the Harmonic Wood that's being put through the Infestation," she answered.

"Harmonic Wood? Infestation?"

Cross nodded. "The Harmonic Wood is only one of the eight geographical features here: there's Candid Centre, of course Harmonic Wood, Sweet Tower, the Astro Gardens, the Stream of Despair, the Rainbow Gates, the Palace of Dreaming, and The Great Boundary. Candid Centre is Heart's gym, Harmonic Wood is Spade's forest, Sweet Tower is Clover's bakery, the Astro Garden's is Diamond's garden and home, the Stream of Despair is my home and my stream, the Rainbow Gates is the doorway into this world, the Palace of Dreaming is where…_our ruler…_lives and the center of all our power, and The Great Boundary is the boundary where Guardian guards the gate between Dreams and Reality.

"The Infestation is…kind of like a disease. It takes over a dimension that's owner has been lying dormant or dying. The Infestation reacts differently to each dimension; since our dimension is made up of children's dreams, it mostly attacks the physical manifestations of the dreams and makes that manifestation 'fall ill'. When that physical dream rises, it turns into a Black Soldier, or as you may call them, an 'X Egg'.

The Infestation doesn't react well to things that are happy and bright, so it naturally kills all of our plant and animal life here, believing it's a threat. It also tries to attack us deities, mostly Heart, Spade, and Clover, because it believes we are also a threat (I mean, technically to them, we are predators, or at least I am)."

It took a while for Ikuto to process these things. Was this really happening? He was so confused, he didn't know if he should be freaking out or staying calm.

_Dimensions…disease…Black Soldier…threats…dreams…boundary…ruler…reality._

"Wait, so I'm in a different dimension?" Ikuto clarified.

"Well…yeah, you are. But I probably shouldn't be telling you these things, when it's not my—"

Cross was cut short when she heard a sharp, loud _CRACK! _Cross snapped to attention and crouched down in a defensive posture, her nihontō in hand. Cross's red eyes narrowed and she quickly hooked her battle rosary around her slim neck.

Ikuto kept behind her, while Heart's grip around Ikuto tightened as she began to whimper.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cross saw a small shard of black glass flit across the dry land. She swerved on her feet to face the offending object. All three waited expectantly as the black shard grew as tall as Cross. It stood there for a while before shattering loudly, turning into an ominous figure, making Ikuto and Heart jump.

The figure was pitch black and completely naked—so everyone could tell it was a woman. It looked like she had wildly curled hair, but since it her entire form was pitch black, it was hard to distinguish where her hair began. A large, red X was connected to her forehead; her eyes were evilly narrowed, and completely white.

"Black Soldier," Cross hissed contemptuously.

The Black Soldier giggled an unbelievably high pitched, off tone giggle, and said in a warped, unbalanced voice, "Bonsoir, bulldog!"

Cross snickered and retorted, "You shouldn't be talking, Dollface!"

The Black Soldiers eyes twitched, irritated. "I don't have time for your petty words, deity!"

Her arms blew apart, revealing razors in their place. With a wild cry, she leaped at Cross. Ikuto cringed, expecting to see blood spurt out from some fresh wound. Instead, Cross grabbed both of the razor arms, and threw them forward, causing The Black Soldier to fly backwards. Without hesitation, she thrust her nihontō at the X sign on the Black Soldier's forehead. The X cracked, and the Black Soldier let out a strangled screech, as she shattered and then disappeared.

Ikuto was so busy gaping at the place where she _had _been, he almost missed Cross saying, "Come on, we can't afford to dilly-dally." He shook away the memory of the Black Soldier's twisted face, and continued following Cross.

It took a while before Ikuto finally saw the true beauty in Harmonic Wood: they had ended up walking through a beautiful plain with fresh, chartreuse grass tickling their ankles, occasional yellow carnations here and there, and deciduous trees growing richly.

"You're taking this better than most humans do," Cross commented suddenly. Ikuto assumed it was towards him.

"Well, I figured that freaking out right now wouldn't help my situation…was I right to believe so?" Ikuto answered wisely.

Cross's eyebrows creased slightly as she replied, "Perhaps so, but I wouldn't know, really."

At this, Ikuto's eyebrows drew together in perplexity.

"Why do you guys keep saying—" Ikuto was cut short when he heard a sharp tune being played.

"Sounds like Spade is playing her koto again," Heart remarked, her tone a cross between excitement and admiration. Cross's eyes hardened significantly as she began to march towards where the sound was coming from.

At last, Ikuto sensed they had made it. And he was correct.

A small opening in the wood sat before the three travelers. This part was beautiful as well, but it looked bizarrely gorgeous. The grass was moist and a glimmering silver hue; the abundance of trees were all black, like shadows; the canopies of the trees shielded the forest ground from light, but a small hole of light managed to shine down on a huge stone that was placed in the center of the clearing.

Ikuto squinted and caught sight of _another _beautiful girl, her figure sitting on the stone.

This girl had cobalt blue hair, similar to his hair, tied up into a loose, ballet bun with her bangs curling around her heart shaped face. Her cyan eyes were somewhat open, making her face soothed. She, like Heart, had the body of a fourteen year old.

She was dressed in an ivory gown, with the same complex pattern as Cross's dress at all of its hems, except they were peacock blue, a peacock blue ribbon wrapped it's self around her waist and around the sleeves, and the sleeves flared out once they were at her wrists, and were separated from the actual dress. A neck band with the peacock blue trimming at its borders clasped her collar, and an indigo, spade designed veil was affixed to her hair.

In her slender hands she held a traditional, 13 string koto—Ikuto could just make out that she was strumming it nimbly, her head bobbing in time with the melody she was playing. Ikuto had to admit, he had never seen anyone play the koto with such precise regality.

The moment was cut short when he noticed the incredibly dark aura rising around Cross.

"_**SPAAAAAAADE!" **_she shrieked.

_And I thought Heart was loud…_

Spade's eyes, which had been briefly shut, fluttered open. Slowly, she put her koto down beside her and turned to address whoever had interrupted her playing.

Spade was faintly taken aback at the sight of the infuriated Cross, but decided to have some fun anyway.

"Yes, Cross-_jukeisha?"_ Spade referred, her tone teasing. She had a very charming voice that was high-pitched, yet soft and elegant. If it was possible, the atmosphere surrounding Cross turned even more malevolent.

Cross flung her nihontō at Spade, but, in a flash, Spade leapt out of the way and hopped towards her guests. Immediately, Spade noticed Ikuto.

"Hm? A human? Don't tell me, Cross, he's your new CoL?" Amusement was clear in Spade's blasé voice.

"CoL?"

"Convict of Love," Heart whispered into Ikuto's ear.

"Wow, he's really cute! In all seriousness, where'd you guys find him?" Spade questioned, truly curious.

"At the Gates," Cross responded coldly. Spades eyes widened.

"Really?" she hissed.

Cross and Heart nodded in unison.

"Spade-sama, I know it may be bold coming from me, but what do you propose we do about this?" Heart uttered.

"Yes, Spade _imouto-denka_, what do you have to say about this?" Cross asked, smirking. Spade glared at Cross momentarily before answering, "Well, what else can we do? It may not 'be our place' but it's not our place to keep things from an outsider either."

Spade turned to Ikuto, smiled enchantingly, and declared, "Welcome, to Amu's Dream World."

---

**A/N: It's finally finished!!! I worked so long on this chapter, but I kept getting set back by the fact that I'm gonna have to finish _The Cross Alliance _chapter three eventually. Well, don't worry, it's coming. Anyways, back to the plot; so, Ikuto has met three of The Five Jokers, Future Amu has taken Amu's soul away and kidnapped Ikuto purposely, and we now officially know that this isn't our world. So many things were covered, but more will be covered in the next chapter! Terms:**

**_Coloré Pierre- _means 'colored stone' in French, I believe. **

**Nihontō- a Japanese sword. I forgot to mention that Cross's nihontō is an ōdachi. **

**Koto- a traditional, Japanese harp; they usually have 13 strings. **

**Jukeisha?- -jukeisha is a Japanese honorific used to address a convicted criminal; Spade is using it to refer to Cross's days in Tartarus. **

**Imouto-denka: Imouto means "younger sister", while 'denka' is used to address someone below the sovereign power, such as a princess. Cross is implying that Spade thinks highly of herself. **

**Sama- 'sama' is a Japanese honorific used to speak about/to one who is of higher rank than one's self. **

**Bonsoir- it means 'good evening' in French.**

**So, see you all next time, where Ikuto meets two more Jokers and one of Heart's tea cakes go missing! Ja ne, minna! **


End file.
